Unexpected
by FyreBrande
Summary: Collection of one-shots for JowanxF!Tabris, much like Second Chance. T for violence etc. Dragon Age universe belongs to BioWare
1. Crazy

**For anyone confused as to how this pairing is possible: Karma's Origins Companions mod. It makes Jowan-among others-recruitable and romancable. **

1. Crazy

Grey Wardens were crazy. Absolutely _insane_. Jowan reached this conclusion as he watched Alistair lunge forward with a bellow of rage and draw the High Dragon's attention-on purpose, no less-away from Jael, and the elf immediately took advantage of the respite to scramble up the thing's neck.

_Y'know, you're a Warden now, too, remember_. The thought drifted through his mind as Jowan watched their fearless leader plunge her sword into the dragon's skull. _I know. Yet more proof that Grey Wardens are crazy. Or, at least, __**she**__ is. No sane person would've recruited __**me**__._

The dragon screamed in rage and pain, shaking its head violently to try and dislodge the fiery-haired parasite clinging to it. Jael wrapped her legs around its neck and drove her sword even deeper, twisting the blade for good measure.

"Just die already!" the elf hollered, and then let out a whoop of triumph as the dragon emitted one final, wheezing screech and went down.

Jowan scrambled aside as the huge creature fell, narrowly dodging the head. So maybe a mage shouldn't be in so close, especially fighting something that could like as not have swallowed him whole, but he'd felt like he wasn't helping enough from what would considered a safe distance.

"Yeah, I'll be feelin' _that_ tomorrow," Jael laughed, breathing hard and rolling her shoulder as she hopped up. She wrenched her sword free and wiped it against the fallen dragon's leathery wing to clean it off before sheathing the blade. "You alright?"

_She's definitely crazy. _He nodded. "I think so."

She gave him a casual once-over and grinned. "Good. Wouldn't wanna lose you. A good mage is incredibly hard to come by," she teased as she raked escaping locks of red hair back towards her ponytail.

"And you have _three_," Jowan mumbled under his breath as the elf turned to playfully harangue Alistair about being a little slow with distracting the dragon. She didn't need him, not really; and he still wondered why she acted like she did. _Because she's crazy._

_xxx_

"Think you could distract the next one a little faster?" Jael teased, lightly socking Alistair in the arm. "Maybe _before_ it gets the chance to gnaw on me? That would be nice."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." The warrior shot her a searching-and mildly worried-look. "The _next_ one? You're thinking we'll do that again?"

Jael shrugged and shot him a cheery grin. "Y'never know." She looked back at the two mages as Wynne tried to brush off the blood spots freckling her robes. "I think Jowan thinks I'm crazy."

"Jae, you _are_ crazy," Alistair chuckled, giving her ponytail an impish tug. "So he's completely right."

"Oh, _you_," Jael huffed, taking a swing at the back of her friend's head and missing. "Just for that, you get to cut open the dragon and see there's anything worth salvaging from its gut." She nearly collapsed laughing at his expression. "Oh, _Maker_, Alistair, if you could see your face..."

He made a face at her. "Very funny, Jae."

"Well, _I_ thought it was..." the rogue shot back.

xxx

"You like him, don't you?" Alistair asked after catching Jael glancing over toward Jowan for the fifth time in as many minutes.

"Like who?" Her eyes were off the mage and on the fire with speed that would put a griffon to shame.

"Oh, fine, play dumb."

She shrugged. "If it works for you..."

"Hey, now," Alistair protested with a chuckle. "Alright, let me be more direct about this. Jae, you like Jowan, don't you?"

"Jealous already?" she asked, her tone teasing. "He's only been around two weeks. I don't know him that well, so how could I like him, y'know, like _that_?"

"I dunno. But you do. I can totally tell."

"I-" She stopped herself, sighed. "This conversation is over." She stood.

"Aw, c'mon, Jae, I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad at you, Alistair," the elf promised. "I just... there are things I need to do. Like making sure Jowan got food. Morrigan usually doesn't _share_ with people."

"Good point. You should go ask him."

She sighed and shot him a dirty look as she snatched up a bowl of the stew Leliana had prepared and headed toward where the mage had settled.

xxx

"Hey, Jowan?"

Jowan looked up at the greeting, hiding a smile at the nervous way Jael chewed her lip. "Yes?" Fearless in battle-and arguments-she might be, but the elf always seemed nervous in regular conversation.

"Just wanted to make sure you got some dinner." She shifted so all her weight rested on one leg. "Wouldn't want anyone going hungry. Anyway, here ya go." She held out a bowl of stew.

"Thank you." He took it.

"Leliana made it, so I'm sure it's good," she mumbled, looking like she was digging for an excuse to linger.

"Oh?" Jowan chuckled. "You say that like there's some where the quality might be in doubt."

Jael laughed. "You obviously have never eaten Alistair's cooking. And even mine is only so-so."

"Really?"

"Don't sound so surprised," she muttered, rubbing he back of her neck sheepishly. "I... my cousin lived with us, and she took care of the cooking, so I never got much practice. I'm not terrible, but I wouldn't be a smart person's first choice."

"Ah. I see." His stomach rumbled as the smell wafting up from the bowl in his hands reached his nose. "Maker, this does smell good."

"Well, I'll leave you alone, let you eat." She turned to go.

To his own surprise, Jowan found himself unhappy with that prospect. "I wouldn't mind company, if you don't mind watching me eat."

"Oh, um... okay." She shrugged, looking flustered and out of her element in a way that was actually kind of cute. "'M not the best choice for conversation, but I guess I can give it a go, if you really want me to."

He smiled. "I do."

xxx

She'd swear her heart landed in her stomach when he asked her to stay. Jael swallowed hard and sat cross-legged on the ground next to the log serving as the mage's seat. "Whaddya want to talk about? You want me to stay, you pick the topic."

Jowan hardly thought for a second before asking, "Are all Grey Wardens as crazy as you and Alistair?"

"What?" The word filtered out through a giggle.

"With that dragon earlier," the mage elaborated. "You two struck me as being more than a little insane. Just curious."

Jael shrugged. "I actually wouldn't know." She tugged at a tuft of grass by her ankles. "Alistair and Duncan are the only other Wardens I've ever met. Duncan definitely didn't strike me as particularly crazy, and I think Alistair is only occassionally, and then by necessity."

"Huh?" Jowan cocked his head and shot her a questioning look.

"Well, I'm rather good at concocting wild and crazy plans-"

"Like _climbing_ a dragon in order to kill it?"

"Exactly. Its head is the most vulnerable spot, so I figured I just needed to get to it. Anyway, I concot these plans, and I need his help to carry them out. Rogues aren't exactly good at direct attacks, y'know, so having a warrior distract people while I go all sneaky and take 'em out from the back makes things_ sooo _much easier. So, I guess, in answer to your question, no, not all Grey Wardens are as crazy as the two of us."

"That's a relief," Jowan muttered, absently poking at the stew with the spoon. "I'm not particularly good at crazy. Or brave, for that matter."

Jael snorted in disbelief. "You're better at brave than you think."

"What in Thedas would give you that idea?"

"Um, aside from you going into the Fade to save Connor?"

"You're the one who said I should do that. It's not like I volunteered," Jowan protested.

"But you _did_ it," Jael retorted. "And you didn't try to weasel out or anything."

"Still..." he let the sentence trail off, looking unconvinced.

"Maker, you're a hard sell," she huffed in mock exasperation. "Well, I had absolutely nothing to do with your willingness to own up to what you did. And whatever you say, I know _that_ took guts."

Jowan opened his mouth to protest and then shut it again, unable to come up with an argument she was likely to buy.

Jael grinned and leaned back against the log. "If you're speechless, I win."

"Then I guess you win," he conceded with a lopsided half-smile that made her stomach do a funny little flip. "Because I can't think of a thing to say to convince you otherwise."

"That's 'cause there _isn't_ anything you can say that will convince me othewise," she shot back, trying to hide the fluttery feeling in her gut behind a teasing grin. "Owning up to any mistake is hard, and something as major as poisoning an arl... well, you're a better man than some I've met."

"Maker, you must've met a really horrible sampling if they're worse than a maleficar who got talked into poisoning an arl," Jowan muttered.

"I'm an elf, Jowan. I lived in an Alienage my entire life until a few months ago. Y'don't get much chance to meet humans in there. However, the fact remains that you're a better and braver man than some I've met." _Particularly one cowardly bastard who talked big 'til he felt my dagger at his throat. Then he was all too willing to try and buy me off._

_xxx_

There was a story behind that look in her eyes, there had to be. But curious as he might have been, Jowan didn't feel he knew Jael well enough to ask what it was, and instead mumbled, "So, um, where are we going next?" The question was more to get off the topic of whatever bravery she mistakenly believed him to possess than actual curiosity.

From the look she shot him, she knew it, too, but she was gracious enough to not call him on it. "Denerim. We cut off some of the scales from the dragon and I know someone there who can probably turn them into damn good armor. Alistair's is getting kind of... worn out."

"Ah. I see." He shifted nervously on the log.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he muttered. "Just wondering what'll happen if the templars see me." He looked down at the green Tevinter robes he wore. "It's kind of obvious I'm a mage."

"Oh, we're going to be as... inconspicuous as possible, believe me," Jael assured him. "Grey Wardens aren't exactly in favor with the general population right now, thanks to Loghain."

He almost asked what she meant, but then remembered that the regeant had pinned the responsibility for the massacre at Ostagar on the Wardens. "Oh, right. So, me being a mage Warden..."

"Means you should draw as little attention to yourself as possible, yes," she finished for him. "We won't be skulking, exactly, but... try to blend in."

He nodded. "Understood."

"You, um, you want me to take that?" Jael motioned toward the now-empty bowl in his hands, and Jowan realized he'd been so focused on their conversation he hadn't even _tasted_ the stew.

"Oh, sure." He handed it to her and stood. "Thanks for the company."

xxx

"Oh, you're welcome." Jael could feel her face getting hot and hoped it wasn't getting red, too. "It was my pleasure." She accepted the hand up the mage offered, trying not to stare at the scars criss-crossing his skin. "Thanks."

"No problem," he smiled.

Jael bit her lip as she let go. "Um... I should... I need to go. It's my turn to do the dishes and there's a whole stack waitin' and-"

"Want some help?" Jowan offered.

"You want to help me do the dishes?" Jael shot him a dubious look. "What are you, crazy?"

He chuckled. "Apparently."

"In that case, yes, I'd love some help."

"Well, then, lead the way."

Heart singing, Jael did just that.


	2. History

2. History

She'd always had a weakness for shiny objects. That was what initially pulled Jael toward the merchant's wares; the gleam of beautifully matched silverite daggers, amethysts winking from their handles. The elf stared longingly at the weapons, knowing she could never afford them. Her fingers twitched as she eyed the daggers. _I have to ask..._

" 'Scuse me..." she called, waving slightly to get the merchant's attention.

"Yes?"

"How much are those?" She pointed at the daggers.

One of the man's eyebrows quirked as he took in the rough-clad figure, her sleeveless brown tunic and dark green cloak both powdered with dust and stained with use. "Three sovereigns. Each," he clarified.

"Thank you." Jael sighed wistfully. Alistair would _kill_ her if she spent that much on something they didn't need. _But amethysts..._ She traced a finger over the gems regretfully. Purple was her favorite color, and a rare one to see on a weapon, so everything in her wanted to snatch up the daggers. But even if she could technically afford it, she already had a perfectly servicable sword and dagger. As she turned away from the stand, however, the book caught her eye.

The tome was a good two and a half inches thick, its royal blue cover seeming to glimmer, almost, one of the few arcane symbols Jael recognized stamped or painted or whatever onto the front. She flipped through, scanning some of the pages. A lot of the words were big magic-y things that she didn't understand. _Bet Jowan would..._ She fingered one of the silk ribbon bookmarks hanging out the bottom edge. "What about this?"

"Twenty five sovereigns," the merchant informed her brusquely, turning to deal with another customer, a woman in a dress fancier than anything Jael had ever seen.

"Damn it," the elf muttered under her breath. She really couldn't afford that. Money wasn't as tight now as it had been when they first started out with barely five silvers between them, but twenty five bloody sovereigns... _No can do._ Jael huffed in exasperation. From what little she'd been able to understand of the spellbook-words like _fire _and _ice_ and _kill_-it would be greatly appreciated by the newest member of their merry band. And for some reason, that _mattered_ to her, more than she could put into words. Her eyes darted between the occupied merchant and the book a few times. It had been ages since she stole anything...

Almost before she knew what she was doing, Jael's hands closed around the book and tucked it inside her cloak. The merchant didn't even notice until she was walking away from his table.

"Oi! Elf! Get back here!"

She ran.

xxx

By the time she made it back to camp, she was out of breath, grinning madly, and limping slightly, thanks to a skinned knee.

"There you are!" Alistair raised an eyebrow at her. "What took you so long? I was starting to think someone turned you in for the bounty or something."

"Pssh, you worry too much, Alistair," Jael laughed. "Aside from the fact I'd like to see someone _try_ to turn me in, I just got distracted, that's all."

"Than why are you out of breath? And what happened to your knee?"

"Um... I may have had a... not exactly Grey Warden related run-in with the guards..." She shrugged. "But I got away. And we don't ever hafta go through that town again, so there's nothin' to worry about. Here-" she tossed him the supplies she'd been in town to purchase "-you and Leliana can started putting those away."

"Al... right..." Alistair looked at her suspiciously as he headed toward the bard.

"Alistair, just go," Jael chuckled, waiting until the warrior wasn't watching to head toward Jowan. "Hey, I have something for you," she informed the mage without preamble as she walked up behind him.

"Oh?" He turned toward her, looking surprised.

"Uh-huh. Here, look at this." She handed him the book, leaning over his shoulder as the tome fell open to one of marked pages, pointing at the page. "I thought you might find these useful."

Jowan read through a couple of the spells before turning to look at the elf hanging over his shoulder, trying to keep his mind on the _book_ and not on what having her so close was doing to heart rate. "Where'd you find this, Jael? This is _really_ advanced magic." _And not the kind of thing you find just anywhere..._

"Oh, I, um, bought it at the market, in the town I was just in. I figure if I can't understand most of the words in a book, it's probably about magic. But I can understand words like_ fire_ and _ice_. Oh, and _kill_. So I know it must be useful." She rested her chin on his shoulder and grinned at him.

Jowan laughed. "Useful? Jael, I'll be able to bring down a small house if I learn half of these spells. And you just bought it? Y'know what? Let's just say I believe you. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Jael mumbled, blushing a little. "I figure you need some way to keep from getting bored 'til we get to the Brecilian Forest."

"Oh, this'll definitely work," the mage replied wryly, thumbing the pages of the tome. "I'll probably still be reading this when I die."

"Well... um, good. I'm glad you like it." Jael chewed her bottom lip for a second. "I need to, um, talk to Wynne about something, so I'll let you start reading." She pushed away from his back, both of them immediately missing the contact.

xxx

Jowan spent every night of the trip to the Brecilian Forest with his nose buried in the book, stopping only whenever Jael brought over food and plunked down next to him. She'd gotten in the habit of eating with him every night she had the chance. Which was quickly turning into every night, period. He'd be lying if he denied it was the highlight of his day. They talked as they ate; about everything from dragons to their companions and back again. The one topic they never touched was the past. They both had things they didn't want to talk about, doors they wanted to keep closed. And so they stayed that way.

Until the night Jael bit her lip and asked him why he'd dabbled in blood magic, anyway. "I mean, growing up in the tower... you must have heard multiple times every days that it's bad, right? So I'm just curious why you still did it."

He groaned. "I _knew_ you were going to bring this up eventually."

Jael raised an eyebrow and waited.

"Oh, fine," he sighed. "But you'll laugh at me."

"You never know." Jael took a bite out of her apple. "I might surprise you."

"Don't talk with your mouth full," he scolded with a half-smile. Jael wrinkled her nose at him. "As for why I dabbled in blood magic... well." He ran his hand through his hair. "I was jealous of another apprentice. My best friend, actually. One of those who everyone knew was destined to become a great mage. Because she was so talented, everyone loved her, looked up to her. Since I was so close to her, it was inevitable that I would be compared to her, or worse, overlooked entirely. I felt..." he hesitated, searching for the right word. "...inadequate, I guess. I knew I would never be as great a mage as she was, but I thought the blood magic would at least give me more control... more confidence." Even as he said it, it sounded like a weak and pathetic excuse to him, and he fully expected Jael-who had enough confidence to stare down a bar full of mercenaries and enough control to ignore a cry of 'knife ear'- to laugh at him. Or at least giggle. "It was so _stupid_," he muttered. _Just like me._

"But if she was your friend, wouldn't she have helped you if you'd asked?" the elf pointed out.

Jowan nodded. "Yes, she probably would have. And the thing is, I knew it was wrong the minute I started. I _swore_ never to use it again. Ever. And then I, um, met someone." He cleared his throat, feeling his face go red. "A girl, named Lily. She... loved me, and for a short time, I was happy with who I was." _A __**very**__ short while_, his mind chimed in. "I left the blood magic behind me. And then I found out they were going to make me Tranquil... and that's when I... ran away. The rest, as they say, is history."

Jael was silent for a long moment before she said anything, finally leaning close and squeezing his hand as she murmured, "I'm sorry..."

He shrugged. "It's no one's fault but my own, I suppose. No one forced my hand." He let out a soft, self-deprecating chuckle. "So there you have it. I became a blood mage because my best friend was better than me at _everything_."

"Thank you for telling me," Jael said quietly, brushing back an escaping wisp of hair.

xxx

It took another three days for Jowan to work up the courage to ask a prying question of his own. "So, how'd you become a Grey Warden, anyway?"

Jael swallowed her mouthful of stew, wincing as the too-hot meat burned her tongue. "I suppose I do owe you a story, don't I?"

" 'S right," he teased. "My eyes are starting to cross from staring at that spellbook, anyway."

She chuckled at that. "Alright... how I became a Warden... Well, that story starts on what was supposed to be my wedding day. Until the arl's son-Vaughan-and his friends showed up, already drunk, early as it was in the day, to drag off as many elven women as they could for their-" she fought the urge to spit the word, "-_pleasure_. I gave him a piece of my mind, which earned me a nice backhand across the face." Jael rubbed her cheek, still remembering the sting of the blow. "When I came to, me an' a bunch of my friends were locked in a storage room of the arl's estate. The guards had taken all the others away when my cousin, Soris, showed up and helped me break out. We went after the others..." she swallowed hard; this part sticking harder than the rest. "And I saw my fiance cut down by the guards. Killed trying to save me." She swiped at the beginnings of a tear before it could escape her eye.

"Jae..." Jowan's voice trailed off.

"I dealt with the guards in a spectacular and bloody fashion, then kicked in the door to Vaughan's chambers and dealt with _him_." She smiled grimly. "That _bastard_-" this time she did spit "-tried to bargin with me; offered me gold to walk away and let him do what he pleased with the others. I killed him instead.

"Of course, it wasn't long after we'd gotten back to the Alienage that the arl's men appeared, demanding to know who was responsible. I'd probably be rotting in the dungeon if this Grey Warden hadn't been in the Alienage. He recruited me. Snatched me right away from the guards, which did _not_ go over well with their captain, but he couldn't really do anything about it." She looked up at Jowan. "And there you have it. How an elf from Denerim managed to become one of a handful of people standing in the way of total annihilation of everything good and decent in this world."

"Wow." He really couldn't think of anything else to say. He'd heard stories about how hard life was for elves outside the tower, but coming face-to-face with it like this... "And I thought life dealt me a bad hand."

"Well, it's not _all_ bad," Jael corrected him as she stood, collecting the empty dishes from their dinner.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh?"

"If life hadn't dealt me such a piss-poor hand, I'd never've met you." She grinned at him-mostly to hide her racing pulse-before turning and walking away.

With her back was turned, she missed the goofy, lopsided grin that spread across the mage's face as she left.


	3. Well Deserved

Jael found it silly and cute at the same time that Jowan fell asleep practically every night reading that spellbook she'd given him.

"So, I'm curious; what're you planning on telling him if he catches you watching him like this?" Alistair asked one night, grinning as the elf turned pure scarlet.

"I am not watching him!" she protested. She was lying through her teeth, and they both knew it.

"Jae, you're totally staring," Alistair chuckled, sitting next to her on the fallen log where she'd settled in. "He could wake up, y'know."

Jael smiled and propped her chin on one hand. "He won't. He _never_ does. Once he's out, he stays that way 'til someone wakes him for watch duty or whatever."

"I'd love to know how many night's research you've done to know _that_ for sure," Alistair teased.

"None of your business," Jael retorted, eyes still on the sleeping mage. _Maker, he must be uncomfortable... how does anyone sleep half sitting up?_

"Ooh, you're getting defensive. You two starting to get serious or something?"

She snorted. "Hardly. Still just friends, I think. With what we've both been through already, I can't really say I'm surprised things are moving slow," she pointed out, playing with the plain gold ring that clinked against her Warden's Oath pendant. "When you have that kind of baggage, it's hard to trust again." She sighed. "Plus, I think Jowan's decided he doesn't deserve to be happy or something."

"Sure smiles an awful lot around you, then," Alistair commented.

"You sound jealous," Jael ribbed. "You know I just have that effect on people. And have you ever noticed that even his_ smile _seems sad?"

"And we're back to me wondering just how much...research you've done to know this."

Jael shot him a dirty look and shoved his shoulder hard enough Alistair tumbled off the log. "Go...take your watch," she ordered. "We're in a part of the forest with a lot of wildlife, and not all of it is cute, cuddly and vegetarian."

"Think we'll find the Dalish soon?" the warrior asked as he picked himself up.

"I sure hope so," Jael muttered. "If I'd known they were gonna be this much trouble to find, I'd have gone to Orzammar first."

Alistair laughed. "If there's a lot of wildlife here, I'd say it a good bet they're close by."

xxxxx

Fortunately for Jael's sanity, he was right. They found the Dalish camp the next day. The blonde elf guarding the path didn't look at all happy to see them, and it was only by admitting to being a Grey Warden Jael managed to get an audience with the clan's Keeper.

Jowan could tell just from her posture and the way she was cracking her knuckles-she only did that when she was mad-the elf wanted to hit something when Zathrian explained the clan's predicament and about the wolf-spirit in the forest, Witherfang, how he could use the creature's heart to create a cure. Jael agreed to bring back Witherfang's heart, and then bid the Keeper farewell for the time being.

Jowan followed, trying to ignore the cold feeling in his stomach. There was something in Zathrian's eyes that made him uneasy. _What is it about him...?_ the mage wondered as he watched Jael trade for supplies and half listened to the Dalish storyteller. It finally hit him as they headed for the forest.

He'd seen that look before. He'd seen it in Uldred's eyes when the senior mage made a comment about there being more than one kind of magic and handed Jowan a book about blood magic. He'd seen it in Loghain's eyes when he detailed what Jowan would have to do for the regeant to straighten things out with the Circle. It was the look of someone who was hiding something.

"Jowan." Jael elbowed him to get his attention. "You know 'distracted' and a forest full of bears, werewolves, and various other unfriendly creatures is not a good combination, right?"

He nodded. "'Course I do."

"Then you should probably be paying attention. Where was your head, anyway?" She grinned cheekily at him.

"Just was thinking..." He sighed. "I don't think it's a good idea to trust Zathrian."

Jael gave him a look he couldn't quite read. "'S that so?"

"He's not telling you something. I don't know what, but there's something he's hiding."

"Thanks for letting me know," she smiled. "We should get going. The sooner we go in there, the sooner we can leave."

xxxxx

She had to admit, the forest was beautiful. Jael could have stood at the head of the path just staring at it all, but that wouldn't get them any closer to finding Witherfang. She looked at where the path split in two and mentally debated for a second before choosing the left hand branch. They were all silent as they walked, listening for any hint of nearby creatures.

The first thing they came across was a mammoth bear that snarled its displeasure and charged toward the group. Almost without thinking, Jael threw herself between the giant animal and the mages, her sword kissing the underside of the bear's jaw in an attempted distraction.

"Jael, you idiot, what're you doing?" Alistair yelled at her as he slashed at the bear's head and shoulders.

"Keeping it away from _them_!" she hollered back, dodging a swipe from the monstrous animal's paw. _Mostly __**him**__..._ she admitted to herself-if not out loud-as she ducked sideways, trying to turn the bear. It roared as it followed, ice crystals clumping on its fur. Jael stepped in a crooked dip in the ground and tumbled. _Not good..._ She instantly rolled to the side, even as the bear reared up.

Alistair took advantage of the opening and drove his sword into its gut. "Just die already!" The bear flopped on its side as the warrior pulled his sword free.

Jael giggled as she climbed to her feet. "Thanks, Alistair."

"Don't mention it, you crazy elf," he replied with a chuckle, tugging on her ponytail. "You alright?"

"Yep. Few bruises from that remarkably unheroic tumble, but I'm fine," she promised.

xxxxx

Jowan wasn't sure why hearing her say that made him smile. He had to admit, she hadn't looked very heroic, tripping like that. But that was one of the things he liked the best about her; she wasn't a perfect hero who always saved the day without a single misstep. She was a crazy elf-Alistair was right about that-with an infectious smile and a habit of doing the unexpected.

Which is why it didn't surprise him in the slightest when she tried to reason with the first group of werewolves they encountered that didn't attack on sight.

The leader of the group; a werewolf who called himself Swiftrunner, wasn't very cooperative with that goal.

Jael sighed, and Jowan could tell she was struggling with her temper. "Is there no way to resolve this peacefully?"

"The time for peace is long past," Swiftrunner snarled. "There can be no peace between the elves and we who are cursed."

"Look, I don't want to fight you," Jael shot back. "But I'm not leaving."

"I do not wish to fight you either," Swiftrunner growled, "But we cannot trust you, elf."

xxxxx

Jael would swear on her mother's pyre that werewolves they encountered were meaner after that. They attacked with far more savagery, in larger groups, and seemed to fight in a berserk rage that made them nearly impervious to pain.

It was very annoying, she griped to herself as she spun away from one beast, slitting its throat and turning to bury her dagger in another's chest. She was doing her best to keep at least the werewolves, if not the regular wolves, away from the mages, but it was only a matter of time before they encountered a group with the numbers to work around her and Alistair. Only one particularly rabid werewolf blasted past her as she held off two others, knocking Wynne aside with a wicked backhanded blow before slamming Jowan to the ground.

_Maker's breath, nonononoNO!_ Jael's heart was screaming, panic icing her veins. She abandoned the two werewolves she was fighting-oblivious to the fact they followed as she whirled away- and pushed off the sloping ground to give herself more momentum as she lunged at the slavering creature. She rammed it with one shoulder, knocking it off balance. Feral, red-rimmed eyes glared at her as she screamed at it in fury, wordless syllables meant for the sole purpose of capturing its attention so it would leave Jowan alone. It batted at her with one hand, its claws gouging into her arm.

Jael let out a snarl of her own as the pain registered and spun in a circle, her sword and dagger driving back both the rabid werewolf and her two hangers-on. The elf regained her balance and buried both her blades hilt-deep in the rabid beast's chest. When she turned to deal with the other two a second later, she was met by a headless corpse and Alistair, covered in blood and missing his shield, yanking his sword out of the other's chest. Breathing hard, the warrior met her eyes and grinned.

"You're welcome, boss," he chuckled.

"Thanks." She offered a brief, rueful smile before turning to offer Jowan a hand up.

"Ow!" Both mage and rogue winced as the motion stretched fresh and tender wounds.

Despite the fact she instinctively pressed one hand against her arm, Jael wasn't really worried about herself. "You okay?"

"Well, I'm not dead... so, yes?" Jowan replied hesitantly.

"You don't sound too sure about that," Jael teased as her heart settled back into a more normal rhythm.

"Would you be?" he asked.

"No, I guess not," Jael admitted, eyeing the gashes that covered the mage's arms and chest. "You're gonna need new robes, y'know."

"I know," Jowan groaned. "You wouldn't happen to have brought an extra set?"

"Matter a fact I did," she shot back, grinning to hide a wince as she dragged Alistair over and stood on tiptoe to dig through his pack until she found the extra green Tevinter robes. "Here ya go. After Wynne heals all those nasty scratches, you can put those on instead."

xxxxx

It turned out Jael's armor was ruined as well, at least for now. With a sigh of resignation she'd dug another set of armor out of her pack after Wynne healed her arm and disappeared behind a tree to change. When she stepped back into view, Jowan all but swallowed his tongue.

It was Dalish armor. _Maker, as if she wasn't distracting enough already..._ he groaned as Jael blushed in reponse to Alistair's teasing and tugged self-consciously at the midriff-baring top.

"C'mon, let's go," she muttered, charging off into the forest without even bothering to see if they followed.

Jowan would have if she was walking into a dragon's den.

xxxxx

Tracking the werewolves ending up involving a talking tree, a mad hermit, and another encounter with Swiftrunner where she once again-futilely-tried to reason with the apparent leader of the werewolves. But finally, they found themselves in an ancient elven ruin that _reeked_ of the creatures. Of course, it couldn't be as easy as finding her way through the maze-like hallways. They had to battle reanimated skeletons, too.

Jael spent way too much of that time worrying about Jowan as time and again, entire groups of the skeletons ignored her and Alistair completely in favor of attacking the mages. While she was somewhat relieved-the Dalish armor wasn't nearly as good as her old set-she couldn't keep worrying like this; it was too distracting and she'd wind up getting herself killed.

So she knew exactly what to do when she found the phylactery-like Life Gem.

xxxxx

"Hold out your hand."

"Huh?" Jowan raised one eyebrow and cocked his head in confusion as Jael gave the order with her eyes still fixed on the small glass vial in her hand.

"Hold out your hand, Jowan," the elf repeated. She finally looked up at him and smiled. "Trust me."

He obeyed. The rogue gently transferred the fragile vial to his palm, and Jowan pretended not to notice the way her face colored when their fingers brushed together. _Mine's probably doing the same..._

"Wynne, cup your hand over top," Jael instructed.

As soon as the older mage had obliged, the vial pulsed and flared with warmth. Jowan felt like his head was spinning as images filled his mind.

An elf in gleaming silver armor, casting spells. _Arcane Warrior_. He'd thought those were an elven legend, a footnote to a footnote in a history book Kirra had coerced him into reading _ages_ ago. Apparently he'd been wrong. In the flood of memories, hazy and incomplete as it was-_how long has this been here?_-came enough knowledge he was fairly sure he could master at least a few of the talents that transferred from the Gem to him and Wynne.

"Oh, my," Wynne mumbled. "What was that?"

"Is it done?" Jael demanded, rocking up on the balls of her feet.

"Yes," the mages replied in unison.

"Then give it back, so I can hold up my end of the bargin." She held out her hand, and Jowan carefully let the slender vial roll back into her palm. She flashed a grateful smile before crossing the room to an overgrown alter. She placed the Gem on top and stepped back. There was a blinding flash of light, and then... nothing.

xxxxx

"What was the point of that?" Alistair asked.

"Well, partly just to be nice," Jael replied. "And partly because it had knowledge that'll make Jowan and Wynne better in fights. Like, now they can wear armor."

"How?"

"Magic," Jael reminded him with a teasing grin. _I only wish we had an extra set of armor with us so I could stop worrying about Jowan. _"I'm not a mage so I don't know beyond that. Come on, I have a feeling we're getting close."

xxxxx

Jowan had never been so bloody _sore_ in his life as he was when they returned to camp that night. Aside from a few more encounters with werewolves as they traveled through the beats' lair, complications had arisen when they finally came across a group of werewolves who were willing to talk. Then came the revelation _Zathrian _was the one responsible for the curse the werewolves suffered, Jael's attempts to reason with the older elf, and the sudden, chaotic fight when the Keeper refused to help. They'd fought until he surrendered and agreed to end the curse.

A _very_ full day, by all accounts, further evidenced by the fact Jael almost drifted off-twice-while they were eating. "Sorry, I'm really, really tired," she apologized after the second time.

"Jael, it's fine," Jowan assured her. "What d'you expect after a day full of throwing yourself at nasty creatures who have a taste for mage?"

She chuckled. "Was that a joke? From you? Maker, I'm rubbing off on you too much."

"Seriously, Jae, you don't have to do that," Jowan pointed out.

"Yeah, I do; it's my _job_ to protect-"

"It's _Alistair's_ job to take the brunt of stuff like that. It's _your_ job to be a sneaky little backstabber who's _not_ the center of attention," he corrected. "I'm grateful you care, Jael, but you need to stop protecting me." _I don't deserve it..._

"What, you want me to let something _kill you_ next time?" Jael demanded. "Jowan, aside from the fact I don't want to be down a mage, I care about you, you _idiot_, whether you think I should or not. I-" She stopped herself and smirked in a way that made him more than a little nervous. "Y'know what? I have an idea. I'll be right back." She was barely gone a minute before she returned, dragging something heavy and lumpy behind her. "Okay, that spirit thing in the ruins, it was an elven mage wearing armor, right?"

Jowan nodded, wondering where she was going with this. _It would be a lot easier to concentrate if she would put on different armor._

"Did it teach you an' Wynne how to do that?"

"Among other things, yes," he admitted, nodding again and growing increasingly curious.

"Good, then you can wear this," she grinned, dragging her burden into the light provided by Morrigan's fire. The reddish glow danced along the blue and silver metal of the Warden armor Jael had looted off Sophia Dryden in Warden's Keep. "That way you'll be better protected, so I won't worry, and I'll stop throwing myself in front of various nasties to keep them off you."

"And what's Alistair going to say about you stealing his armor for me to wear?" Jowan raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Jael waved off his concern. "The silver set we found in the ruins is better. He won't care. And this is a bit small for a qunari, so I don't think Sten would want it. 'Sides-" she grinned again, that playful smile that tied everything inside him in absolute _knots_ "-I think you'd look good in blue."

_Maker, what do I say to __**that**__?_ "Oh, fine. You win," he sighed.

"_Thank_ you," she mumbled around a yawn. "Okay, I'm going to bed now. Before I fall asleep on my feet."

Jowan chuckled. "G'night, Jae."

_A/N:I needed a nice, plausible reason for Jowan to be an Arcane Warrior(aside from me drooling all. over. my keyboard when I tried it in-game and put him in the WC armor. Yummeh.) Him and Jae being at this wonderfully awkward stage of their relationship where they-and everybody else-know there's _something_ there, but aren't sure if it's enough of a something to build anything solid on, I decided to go with this. And Jae calling Jowan an idiot and admitting she cares about him in the same breath was another of those things I blame on the muse. That was completely her. _


	4. Good Idea

Good Idea

"So what is it this time?"

Jael's teasing question yanked Jowan out of his rather heated internal debate, and he looked up as the elf plunked down next to him. "Huh?"

She grinned. "What's makin' you frown like that this time?" She shot a suspicious look toward the Antivan elf flirting with Leliana. "Zev didn't come on to you again, did he? I really will kill him this time if he did."

"Maker's _breath_, no!" Jowan's face went red at the mere mention. "After the way you jumped down his throat last time? He'd have to have a death wish."

"Haven't you listened to him and Morrigan? A good assassin doesn't worry so much about death," Jael reminded him with a cheeky smile."You're _really_ cute when you blush like that, by the way."

"Jae!" he protested, rolling his eyes. "_Anyway, _ to answer your original question, I was just... thinking."

"Which can be dangerous, or so I hear," Jael teased.

"Not really. You should try it sometime," he shot back with a grin.

"Oooh. You, ser, have been spending entirely too much time with me," Jael laughed. "But I did walk myself right into that, didn't I?"

Jowan nodded. "You did."

"So what were you thinkin' about that had you so worried looking?" Jael propped her chin on her hand and looked over at him.

He sighed and raked a hand through his hair before giving a one word answer. "Lily."

"Ah." Jael bit her lip but didn't say more.

"I can't _stop_ thinking about her, to be honest," Jowan admitted reluctantly, rubbing the back of his neck.

She sighed but stayed silent.

Jowan winced at the look in her eyes. "Oh, Maker, Jae, not like _that._ I just... I feel guilty that _she_ got punished for something _I_ did."

"Oh. Well, what can you do about it? Do you even know where she is?"

"Aeonar."

Jael sighed, huffing hair out of her eyes. "She may as well be in the bloody Imperium. No one knows where Aeonar is, except a few high-rank templars."

He bit his lip. "Including Knight Commander Greagoir. And since blood mages can read minds... I know, too."

"You read his mind? Was that really a good idea?"

"Just to find out where Aeonar is, that's all," Jowan promised hastily. "I want to... I don't know... help Lily somehow. Get her out of there." He sighed. "She'll probably still hate me, and I don't blame her, but she shouldn't suffer for my choices. She didn't know about the blood magic; I never told _anyone._"

Jael slid her hand into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'll help."

"No, Jae, I wasn't tryin' to-"  
>"I know," she interrupted, scooting closer to the mage. "But if it's important to you, I want to help. 'Sides, it's probably not a good idea for you to go alone."<p>

"Mm. Good point," he conceded. "Thanks, Jae."

"My pleasure," she smiled. "Just show me where to go."

"You got a map?"

o.O.o

The journey was uneventful, their arrival at the mage prison, not so much. They'd hardly taken a step past the door when one of the templar guards saw them and led off his attack with a very familiar burst of pure white light.

Alistair was the only one who managed to resist getting knocked off his feet by the Holy Smite.

Jael shook her head, trying to clear away both the ringing in her ears and the double vision as all six of the front hall guards converged on the warrior, who gave them a taste of their own medicine a few seconds later. _See, I knew it was a good idea to bring him along__,_ she grinned as Alistair's Smite sent them reeling back. She lunged at the first to recover, her sword clanging against the templar's shield as she and Alistair did their best to keep the guards away from the mages.

o.O.o

Holy Smite still felt like getting kicked in the chest by a horse. The only difference the armor Jael gave him made was to make more noise when he slammed into the wall.

_Ow._ Everything had gone white, whether from the Smite itself or from his head bouncing off the wall, Jowan wasn't sure. Probably both.

"Jowan!" Jael's voice was muffled, like he was hearing her through water.

He blinked, tried to focus, tried to regain his feet but couldn't. He'd been hit by more of the Smite than Wynne, so even when the older mage made it back to her feet, he was still struggling to do the same.

"_Jowan!_" She sounded desperate, almost frantic this time. The white finally faded from his vision enough for him to see why.

_There's too many of them._ Jae was good, with Alistair backing her they were even better, but there was still only so much they could do. And holding six templars at bay did not fit in that category. Jowan barely managed to scramble away from the one that got through to come after him, the lightning spell that flared from his hands more instinct than anything else.

It was enough to knock the attacker back for a minute, at least. His battle to clear his head prevented Jowan from paying as much attention to the fight as he should've, and he'd only made it halfway back to his feet when one of the templars caught him off-guard, bashing his shield against the mage's chest hard enough to knock him back into the wall.

_Oh, come __**on**__._ Jowan groaned, sagging against the wall and letting it support him. _I'm going to be even more black and blue than the armor at this rate._ He blasted the templar with an ice spell, freezing the man to the floor long enough for Jael to decapitate him. Alistair and Wynne finished off the last two a second later.

"Are you alright?" Jael demanded, grabbing his arm. "Jowan?"

He laughed, leaning his head back against the wall. "You were right, Jae."

"Huh? And is that a bruise?" She pushed up on tiptoe to brush his hair out of the way and probed a sore spot on his forehead.

"Ow! You said it would be a bad idea for me to do this alone, and you were right." He winced as she worried at the bruise. "Jae, it's just a bruise! I'm fine."

He saw the raw worry in her eyes before she could hide it behind one of her customary grins. "You sure? That thick skull of yours harder than a stone wall?"

"Apparently," he replied, pushing away from the wall. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Still, you're lucky I was here to save you," she teased, the last of her concern fading. "And kiss it better," she amended, lightly kissing the bruise before she stepped back. "This is why it's a good idea to listen to the genius redhead elf."

"That and you have a bit of a temper," Alistair chipped in.

"You-" Jae rolled her eyes and laughed, lightly punching him in the arm. "You're asking for it, ser knight. Let's have a damsel in distress to rescue."

Jowan was glad she didn't look back before she led the way futher into the fortress, because he was sure he was blushing.

o.O.o

Jael couldn't help but wince when they finally found the auburn-haired woman they sought and her reaction to seeing Jowan was to scream and back away. The pure _hurt_ that flashed in the mage's eyes as he tried to calm her down was so deep Jael swore to herself she'd die before she hurt him like that.

"Lily, we're here to get you out," the elf explained as Alistair wrestled with the rusty lock.

"No, no, I can't leave!" Lily shrieked.

"Why not?" Jowan demanded.

The explanation came together in pieces in rapid-fire conversation between mage and initiate that Jael didn't understand in the slightest. Except the word _demon_. She sighed, because she could guess the jist of why Lily wouldn't or couldn't leave. When Jowan filled her in, she wanted to swear.

There was a demon somehow loose in the deepest recesses of the dungeon, corrupting the mages, loosing lesser demons, and preventing any of the prisoners from leaving. They'd have to find and destroy it before they could get Lily out.

_This is for Jowan, it's for Jowan, it's for Jowan..._ Jael reminded herself as they fought off three desire demons and a blood mage. The reminder was repeated multiple times the futher they went into the corridors and caverns. And the final fight against the pride demon in the subterranean chamber had the words circling in her head so fast they ran together.

_I wouldn't do this for anyone else, _Jael had to admit as she went flying into one of the stone columns that dotted the room. By the time they finally won, her arms were burning with fatigue, and she could see Jowan's hands shaking when he cast his last spell, a sure sign he'd pushed himself dangerously far.

Alistair cut the demon's legs out from underneath it and jammed his sword into its head when it fell. "Now... can we go?" he panted. "I'm sick... of this place."

Jael chuckled as she slipped Jowan a lyrium potion. "Let's."

o.O.o

He'd been right, but he wished he wasn't. Lily still hated him. Jowan couldn't blame her, not really. He'd lied to her, used her, broken her heart. The lingering hate in her eyes hurt all the same.

_It's my own fault..._ he reminded himself as he silently followed Jael out of the fortress.

She must have seen something in his eyes upon glancing back, because she slowed to walk next to him and slipped her hand in his with a gentle squeeze. "One thing I've learned the hard way," she said softly, "Don't let your past mess up your future."

"Thanks, Jae," Jowan half-smiled, squeezing her hand back.

"Not to ruin the moment," Alistair interrupted, "But we're going to need to buy more supplies before we head for Orzammar."

Jael groaned in exhaustion and rested her forehead against Jowan's shoulder. "Way to spoil the mood. I'm too tired. Can't we do it tomorrow?"

Jowan chuckled. "I can go, Jae. What do we need?"

"Lyrium potions, health poultices, and more bandages," Alistair rattled off, tugging the small tail of white fabric hanging out where Jael's arm guard met her armor. "Somebody was a little too reckless."

"So I was supposed to let Wynne get decapitated?" the elf demanded, slipping her hand free of Jowan's to cross her arms and glare at the warrior.

"Well, no," Alistair conceded. "But still, Jae. You're more than a little crazy."

"This I know," she retorted. "Jowan, you know how to get to the nearest town once we hit the shore, right?"

He nodded. "I do."

"Good," she yawned. "Just be careful."

o.O.o

She fell asleep before they made it halfway across the channel seperating Aeonar from the mainland, so she missed her chance to reiterate the warning before Jowan left. And he was back by the time she woke up from her nap.

"Just in time, Jae," Alistair teased. "You can help put all this stuff away."

"Why can't Jowan help?" she protested, stretching to get the kinks out of her spine.

"Because I want to get out of this armor," the mage answered, already tugging off the gauntlets. "That's why."

_I'd rather help you with __**that**__..._ Jael grumbled to herself as she sighed in concession and moved to help Alistair. "Oh, fine."

Putting away the supplies turned into arm-wrestling over dinner duty, which Jael lost, as always. She was so busy cooking and then cleaning up-the result of losing to Zev at Wicked Grace -that it was dark before she made it back to her tent.

It was firelight glinting off silver that revealed something sitting on her pillow.

_No way..._ She bit back a squeal as she slid her fingers around the twin slender blades. _No __**sodding**__ way._

It was a pair of daggers. When she pushed back the tent flap to let in more light, she couldn't fight the small gasp.

It wasn't just any daggers; it was _the_ daggers. The ones with amethysts in the handles, the ones she'd wanted so very badly over a month ago. _I must be dreaming._ A hard pinch on the inside of her elbow proved she wasn't. And that was when she saw the note.

_Thanks, Jae. For everything._

She didn't even need to look at the signature. There was only one person in camp with such messy-bordering on horrible-handwriting. And she'd teased him about it enough times to recognize it on sight. _So that's why he's looked so nervous since he got back. _The daggers dropped on her bedroll as she all but flew back out of the tent and made a beeline for a certain dark-haired mage sitting off by himself.

o.O.o

"Thank you!" Jael's hollered gratitude was all the warning Jowan got before the elf crashed into him hard enough to knock him over, his spellbook tumbling in the grass as the two of them sprawled next to it.

_Well, I guess that clears up whether or not they were a good idea..._ "And what exactly are you thanking me for?" he asked, pushing off the ground enough to lean on his elbows as he looked up at the elf straddling his stomach.

"Oh, you." Jael whacked his arm, but hastily followed that with a hug. "The daggers, silly goose. How did you know?"

"Know you like purple? You told me that, Jae," he grinned. "And you're a rogue, so daggers made sense."

"No, I mean-" she took a deep breath and started over, not moving off him. "The town where I got you that spellbook, I saw that exact set of daggers and I wanted 'em so bad, but they were too expensive; Alistair would've killed me for spending that much money." Her eyes narrowed. "How did you-"

"Don't you worry about that," he cut her off, reaching up to briefly lay one finger against her lips. "I didn't steal them, don't worry. But beyond that, I'm not telling. I'm glad they were such a good idea."

o.O.o

"Good idea-" Jael huffed. _You precious, wonderful idiot..._ "Jowan, they were more than a _good_ idea."

"Really?" He was giving her that lopsided, sheepish grin that made her stomach flip in ten different directions again. It was just _too much _for her to resist this time.

"Yes, really," she retorted, "Just like this." With that, she kissed him, grinning to herself as she braced one hand against the ground and slid the other into his hair.

o.O.o

Jowan had to agree with her on that. He shifted all his weight to one elbow so he could curve his other hand around the back of her neck. Between the two of them, they managed to keep balanced longer than they could hold their breath.

Jael finally pulled back and grinned at him again, cheekily this time, loose strands of red hair dangling in her eyes. "See?"

"Uh-huh," Jowan mumbled, almost as dazed as he'd been by the Holy Smite in Aeonar. "A _very _good idea."

And _he_ kissed _her_.


End file.
